Sport

• Few mourn US embassy relocation — “Now all is set to change, as the embassy prepares to shut up shop in central London and move to a brand-new building – in somewhat less salubrious surroundings on the south bank of the river Thames.” (BBC News)
• Do WAGS make good role models? – “Lizzie Cundy, the wife of former Chelsea Player Jason Cundy, and Caroline Jordan, headmistress of St George’s school in Ascot, discuss whether WAGs make good role models for schoolgirls.” (BBC News)
• Britain’s lonely high flier — “A resurgent Rolls-Royce has become the most powerful symbol of British manufacturing. Its success may be hard to replicate, especially in difficult times.” An exceptionally interesting article. (The Economist)
• Old time ads — “Nostalgic commercials and brands are being revived as advertisers seek to tap into recession-ridden Britons’ urge for security, predictability and reassurance.” Interesting slide show of some classic British ad campaigns. (Financial Times)
• She’s married to one of the country’s sexiest actors – so why does Emma Thompson think British men are retarded? — “The Oscar-winning actress compares her husband to a clam because he’s so hopeless at opening up — like all his ‘emotionally autistic’ countrymen.” If I had to pick a celebrity to be my friend, I’d pick Emma. (The Daily Mail)
• Blagojevich, the Iambic Anglophile — “Impeached, indicted and feeling alone, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich has found some unlikely friends: Dead British poets.” May I suggest a little Robert Browning? “I give the fight up: let there be an end, a privacy, an obscure nook for me. I want to be forgotten even by God.” (the New York Times)
• Kate’s no lady in waiting — A video from CBS’s Early Show about Kate Middleton’s 27th birthday and will Will or won’t Will pop the question soon?

The British press worked overtime this weekend, reporting on images of Prince Edward supposedly beating his dogs with a stick during a pheasant shoot. There aren’t any pictures of the prince’s stick making contact with the dogs — it looks as if he’s trying to break up a fight — but animal rights groups think his menacing behavior with the raised stick is indicative of the cruelty behind country sports.

There’s a deep schism in British society about country sports, a favorite pastime of the aristocracy in Britain. Fox hunting, for example, was banned in England and Wales in 2004, thanks to public uproar and lobbying from animal rights groups. Now with fox hunting banned, what’s a royal to do but take aim at game birds on the estate?

The royals do love their weekend hunts. The late Princess Diana, not a hunter, was reportedly dismayed by her sons’ love of the hunt; Prince William’s girlfriend, Kate Middleton, was roundly criticized by the press and animal rights groups for shooting with Prince Charles last year. Also last year, scandal-magnet Prince Harry was accused of shooting two birds that were of a protected species.

I’m not anti-hunting. I grew up in rural northern New England, where hunting’s not a rich man’s sport. It wasn’t uncommon to go to a relative’s home and be served a steaming bowl of venison stew or braised rabbit, the meat courtesy of an uncle’s hunting expedition. Responsible hunting kept animal populations in check and filled our freezers with food. (I’ll admit though, I’m not a huge fan of venison.) I assume that the royal estates, too, are filled with deer that reproduce like, well, rabbits, and stalking keeps their populations controlled.

But the royal family doesn’t need to fill their freezers with protein for the winter, and given the strong anti-monarchist sentiment in Britain coupled with an economy in the shitter, is it the wisest move for these folks to engage in a weekend sport that pisses off the public who are supporting them? Is this their brilliant alternative to stumbling out of Whisky Mist at 2:00 a.m.? What do you think? Add your comments below.